Category Archives: Channels & Publishers

Crash Course & SciShow Hanks’s last couple of videos have been on Plant Science: transport and reproduction. Head on over to the main Plant Science AHL page for the topic for the presentations and resources.

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This full four-part HBO documentary series is online in full on the HBO Docs YouTube Channel. Although aimed at a US audience, the messages are universal. The website for the series has lots more related short clips and resources that might be of use in class.

My Rant

Kudos to HBO for making this available on YouTube worldwide.

For what it’s worth, I think all TV production companies should be hosting their documentaries – especially those on important social and environmental issues – online for free. At the very least, make episodes available for a minimal ($1?) purchase fee on iTunes.

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Wow. Two papers published in Nature Methods have outlined a new technique which allows researchers to track development of embryos (in this case Drosophila melanogaster), in real time. By taking simulataneous multi-view microscopic images of the developing embryo, individual cells can be tracked in real time. The methods are described in more detail at Nature News here.

Have a look at the amazing results below, as a fruitfly embryo develops into a larva, ready to hatch. The two views are the dorsal (upper side) and ventral (lower side) view of the same embryo. See if you can pick a cell and watch its path of development.

Think about how this links to IB Biology topics of cell division, cell specialisation and embryonic development. How does a stem cell know what type of cell to become? If you look closely, there’s a scale bar in the bottom-right. Take a snapshot and calculate the actual length of the embryo.

Help me support my chosen charities by donating via my Biology4Good page. 100% of donations go to charity - together we've raised over GB£5,600 so far! Donations of £20 or more get access to a shared folder of editable pptx files.

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